The Boston Celtics suffered a painful 125-116 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night at the Frost Bank Center, and the bad news is only getting worse. Derrick White delivered a heroic effort with 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Jayson Tatum added 24 points in just his third game back from a ten-month absence. It still wasn’t enough. The defeat dropped Boston to 43-22 on the season and left the team battered heading into the toughest test of the year.
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On Thursday, the Celtics travel to Oklahoma City to face the league-leading Thunder (51-15), who have won nine of their last ten games and six straight. This matchup was already daunting. Now it looks like a potential disaster.
The latest injury report released Wednesday night has sent shockwaves through Boston. Jayson Tatum is listed as questionable with right Achilles repair reconditioning. In his three games since returning, Tatum has averaged 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. This could mark his first missed game since his comeback. Derrick White, fresh off one of the best performances of his season, is also questionable with a right knee contusion sustained in Tuesday’s loss. The Celtics desperately need both stars against the NBA’s best team.
Adding to the crisis, Nikola Vucevic remains sidelined after fracturing his right ring finger last Friday and is not expected back for another three to four weeks. The only positive note is Payton Pritchard being listed as probable after missing Tuesday’s game with neck spasms.
Tuesday’s collapse in San Antonio already felt like a warning sign. Victor Wembanyama dominated with a 39-point double-double, the Spurs drilled 20 threes, and a 12-0 fourth-quarter run sealed the win. Jaylen Brown was ejected before halftime after two technical fouls, finishing with just eight points and seven assists in 15 minutes. The Celtics were already shorthanded without Pritchard and Vucevic.
Ron Harper Jr. provided a spark off the bench with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, but one hot night couldn’t replace an All-Star’s absence for an entire half. After the game, Derrick White didn’t mince words about Brown’s ejection: “I thought the second one was bullsh*t, honestly. You can’t throw out a guy who’s done so much for us all year, and in a game like this, especially.”
Now the Celtics must somehow regroup for Oklahoma City with their two most important players in doubt.
The Thunder pose a nightmare scenario. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on an MVP tear, averaging 31.7 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 55% from the field and 38% from three. Even with Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Branden Carlson all out, Oklahoma City keeps rolling. Jaylin Williams just dropped 29 points and 12 rebounds against Denver, and bench guards Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain have stepped up seamlessly. The Thunder own the NBA’s top-ranked defense and have already beaten Boston twice last season.
With Tatum and White both questionable, Vucevic still months away from full recovery, and the league’s best team waiting on their home floor, the Celtics are staring at a potential disaster in Boston. Depth will be tested like never before on Thursday night.